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Why cats obsess over Christmas trees

Bright, dangly, shiny things hanging off branches may lead to feline mayhem, but not (usually) injury – except perhaps to your tree

By Peter Hanlon, University of Melbourne

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If cats could use the internet, they’d discover that searching “cats” and “Christmas trees” can lead to catastrophising on a scale akin to humans asking Dr Google if they’re going to die from the common cold.

Dr Leonie Richards, Head of General Practice at the University of Melbourne’s U-Vet Veterinary Hospital, says cats and Christmas decorations have always been a recipe for mayhem. But in good news for cat lovers, the main victims she’s come across in this festive frolic have been trees, not cats.

Trouble ahead: a cat sizes up a Christmas tree. Picture: Supplied

“You can never say never, but it would be pretty unlikely,” Dr Richards says of the prospect of a cat doing itself serious harm while playing in or under a Christmas tree. “The most common outcome is just mess and mayhem.”

The attraction is obvious – shiny, sparkly objects, strings of tinsel, baubles that are just asking to be batted around by little paws. Dr Richards says it’s generally kittens and younger cats that are mesmerised, and recalls once treating a cat that used to play with the loose change on its owner’s bedside table and accidentally swallowed a five cent piece. “A Christmas tree is the same principle – all those shiny balls and lights and tinsel, it just looks like one big playpen for them.”

While a mischievous puppy is more likely to take a crash-through approach to presents and props, cats are climbers and can launch themselves into branches, bringing the danger of an unstable tree coming down on top of them. “In theory they could knock the tree over and it could pin them down, break a leg or crush a foot, but I’ve never seen it,” Dr Richards says.

The string from baubles and other decorations, especially tinsel, could cause severe intestinal issues if swallowed by a cat. Internet warnings about pine needles – both real and artificial – and the danger of poisoning by sap consumption are likewise overblown. “People say chewing the tree, maybe the needles could act like a sewing needle, be swallowed and pierce the intestine. But I can’t imagine a cat swallowing a whole pine needle, that doesn’t look very tasty to me.”

Dr Richards once treated a dog that had chewed through an electrical cord, giving itself a nasty shock and burning its mouth and tongue in the process, but never a cat. “It’s possible in theory, but in reality, fairly unlikely. They don’t tend to chew electrical wires, and they couldn’t chew the lights because they would be too hot when turned on.”

To a cat, a Christmas tree is one big playpen. Picture: Pexels

When it comes to precautions, as ever the best approach is common sense. Laying a carpet of tinfoil on the floor under the tree might be a deterrent, as some cats don’t like the feel of foil underfoot. Double-sided tape on the tree trunk is another helpful online hint, but Dr Richards says this sticky remedy could result in a trip to the vet with a puss whose paw pads have been damaged.

As for repellents such as apple cider vinegar or citronella, Dr Richards says she’s never seen any sprays of a ‘Get Off My Garden’ nature that actually work. Advice around tethering a tree to the wall or ceiling to prevent a cat-inspired tumble seems extreme. “I’d just ditch the tree if it were me.”

Or take a sensible approach. “Obviously having the tree in a room where the door can be closed and the pet can’t get to it when you’re asleep or out of the house, would seem pretty logical.”

So while Cats versus Christmas Trees is a YouTube search that’s guaranteed to attract views in the millions, other than intestinal foreign bodies caused by swallowing string or tinsel, experience tells Dr Richards that a serious mishap is as unlikely as waking on Christmas morning to find Santa stuck in the chimney. “You can never say never, but it’s not as high on the cards as just a mess.”

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